The Cave Creek Unified School District governing board on Jan. 28 approved new special‑education positions the administration said are intended to reduce the district’s reliance on costly out‑of‑district placements.

Doctor Chetzen (presenter identified during discussion) and district staff described the action as a step to provide in‑district options for students who currently require higher‑level services. The board approved the personnel items on the consent agenda after discussion about costs and timing.

Administrators told the board that the district currently places roughly 30 students in outside programs and pays tuition and transportation for those placements. “We have a current high school student that came back to us that would be a 45‑day placed outside of our district, which would be about $8,000 in tuition right off the bat,” a district presenter said during discussion about the new roles. Staff said some placements also carry substantial monthly transportation and paraeducator costs.

Board members asked for clarification about optics and timing — noting the broader facilities debate — and said they wanted a clear plan showing how new positions would reduce net outlays. Administrators replied the positions would allow the district to provide services locally (including behavior specialists and a behavior technician), reduce reliance on private placements, and could produce net savings compared with ongoing tuition and transportation costs. The district also said several special‑education leadership roles had been vacant and reorganized earlier in the year.

The motion approved the creation of the new special‑education positions and related job classifications; the agenda item was presented to the board as action item 5.8. Administration said final hiring would follow normal posting and selection processes and that the positions are contingent on budget review and operational needs.

Ending: Board members voted in favor of adding the positions and asked administration to provide additional cost projections showing projected savings versus current outplacement costs.